A Coupled Analysis of Atmospheric Mass Loss and Tidal Evolution in XUV Irradiated Exoplanets: the TRAPPIST-1 Case Study

Abstract

Exoplanets residing close to their stars can experience evolution of both their physical structures and their orbits due to the influence of their host stars. In this work, we present a coupled analysis of dynamical tidal dissipation and atmospheric mass loss for exoplanets in XUV irradiated environments. As our primary application, we use this model to study the TRAPPIST-1 system, and place constraints on the interior structure and orbital evolution of the planets. We start by reporting on a UV continuum flux measurement (centered around $\sim 1900$ Angstroms) for the star TRAPPIST-1, based on 300 ks of Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory data, and which enables an estimate of the XUV-driven thermal escape arising from XUV photo-dissociation for each planet. We find that the X-ray flaring luminosity, measured from our X-ray detections, of TRAPPIST-1 is 5.6 $\times$10${}^{-4}{L}_{\ast }$, while the full flux including non-flaring periods is 6.1 $\times$10${}^{-5}{L}_{\ast }$, when $L_{\ast }$ is TRAPPIST-1's bolometric luminosity. We then construct a model that includes both atmospheric mass-loss and tidal evolution, and requires the planets to attain their present-day orbital elements during this coupled evolution. We use this model to constrain the ratio $Q^{\prime }=3Q/2k_2$ for each planet. Finally, we use additional numerical models implemented with the Virtual Planet Simulator \texttt{VPLanet} to study ocean retention for these planets using our derived system parameters.

accepted to AJ. See extra figures, data, and scripts at https://github.com/jxcbecker/trappist1

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Cited by in corpus (17)

• Persistence of Flare-Driven Atmospheric Chemistry on Rocky Habitable Zone Worlds
• Double Trouble: Two Transits of the Super-Earth GJ 1132 b Observed with JWST NIRSpec G395H
• The Mega-MUSCLES Spectral Energy Distribution Of TRAPPIST-1
• Predictions for Observable Atmospheres of Trappist-1 Planets from a Fully Coupled Atmosphere-Interior Evolution Model
• Semi-Empirical Modeling of the Atmospheres of the M Dwarf Exoplanet Hosts GJ 832 and GJ 581
• Gliese 12 b: A temperate Earth-sized planet at 12 pc ideal for atmospheric transmission spectroscopy
• Sporadic Spin-Orbit Variations in Compact Multi-planet Systems and their Influence on Exoplanet Climate
• Improved Constraints for the XUV Luminosity Evolution of Trappist-1
• Planetary parameters, XUV environments and mass-loss rates for nearby gaseous planets with X-ray detected host-stars
• Phase Modeling of the TRAPPIST-1 Planetary Atmospheres
• Water transport throughout the TRAPPIST-1 system: the role of planetesimals
• Is the high-energy environment of K2-18b special?
• Separating flare and secondary atmospheric signals with RADYN modeling of near-infrared JWST transmission spectroscopy observations of TRAPPIST-1
• Oxygen left behind: Atmospheric Enrichment due to Fractionation in Sub-Neptunes using BOREAS
• ExoplANETS-A: A VO database for host stars and planetary systems: The effect of XUV on planet atmospheres
• Simulated Effects of Radioactive Elements on Magnetic Evolution and Atmospheric Mass Loss of Earth-like Planets
• Non-detection of Helium in the upper atmospheres of TRAPPIST-1b, e and f